Sharing Him, Sharing Her
by OpportuneMoment
Summary: O'Neill and Carter are badly injured during an ambush on a Tok’ra planet. Those ‘friendly snakes’ have a solution for everything.... COMPLETE AT LAST!
1. Solutions

**__**

Sharing Him, Sharing Her

**__**

Author: Gillian Slater

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E-mail: LeoricGS@aol.com

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Rating: PG

****

Teaser: Jack and Sam are badly injured during an ambush on a Tok'ra planet. Those 'friendly snakes' have a solution for everything.

****

Disclaimer: Nope, I didn't invent the show or the characters, I'm just taking them out for a spin. Don't sue me. 

****

Part One

"AAAaaaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!" Screams, screams all around. Goa'uld, Tok'ra, human. Out of the trees, bright blasts of energy ripped through the group, killing the first two guards immediately. With a swiftness born of years in hiding, the efficiency of a race driven to endless guerrilla-warfare, the Tok'ra column dropped to the moss carpet of the forest, zats streaking bolts of blue into the foliage.

The humans followed suit, all three on their bellies in a split-second and firing their crude projectile weapons with less precision, perhaps, but certainly a broader kill-pattern. The Jaffa did not drop. With characteristically sour-faced determination he waded into the trees, disappearing into a confusion of noise and fire.

"Colonel!" The Major's voice, right beside him, was barely audible above the gunfire.

"Kinda busy, Major." He responded dryly.

"Where's Teal'c?" In the midst of grave danger herself, she was worried for her absent friend.

O'Neill directed his fire more to the left as a steel-clad Jaffa approached, staff raised, and promptly fell, riddled with bullets.

"Think he went into the trees to kick some-- UH!"

__

"SIR!!" Sam wriggled desperately towards her CO as his face landed in the moss, a charred and smoking patch on his upper back. Instinctively she rolled to find the source of the attack, and was hit full in the chest by the staff-blast.

* * * * *

"God dammit, Jack, hang in there!" Daniel's face was set like flint, he wouldn't cry. He might smash something, might bang his head against the reinforced-glass, but he wouldn't cry. Pacing with frustrated energy, he ignored the pain from the charred section of his right arm which was now tightly bandaged.

A subtle hiss turned Daniel's head as a still battle-bloody Jacob stepped into the room, his brow furrowed with anguish, his eyes desolate.

"Sam?" Daniel asked, hurriedly, but with a sensitivity that acknowledged Jacob's feelings.

Jacob took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "Yanock is working on it." His exhausted eyes met Daniel's. "It doesn't look good."

Teal'c appeared at Daniel's side. "Major Carter is strong, Jacob Carter, as is the symbiote. I feel certain they will prevail." Jacob nodded his thanks.

"What about Jack?" Urgency again in Daniel's usually mild voice.

"He's blended with Kal'ai..." Jacob's expression became fraught once again. "She's very young. Too young, really, but there was no other."

Daniel stepped to the plane of glass and looked into the adjacent chamber, where Jack and Sam lay on biers side by side, inert. He pressed a hand to the glass. "Hang in there." He whispered. Teal'c joined him, staring into the quarantine section with a resolutely grim expression.

* * * * *

__

Aaahhh, sighed the voice in Sam's head, exhaustion in its tone. _I think we are out of danger at last._

"Who--" She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't muster the strength. "Who's there?" She enquired, the words nothing more than a slurred mumble.

__

Shhh. Later. For now it is enough that we live.

* * * * *

__

Come on, PLEASE... I know you can do it, now breathe...

__

Hey, get off my back, I'm breathing already. Jeez. Jack's hazy mind paused, back-tracked. _Err... is that... are you God?_

The otherness in him chuckled weakly. _At the moment, yes. Now, let's do some miracles, huh?_

* * * * *

His eyelids felt like lead, but somehow he forced them open to stare up at the uninteresting grey ceiling. _They should decorate that._

__

I agree. Not an inspiring view to wake up to.

Jack jumped. He knew that voice. Well, not a _voice_ exactly... he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was definitely there. "That you, Carter?" he called, or attempted to call, but the aridity of his throat resulted in more of an emphatic whisper.

__

I think Major Carter is still quite damaged. I hope she makes it, I really do. I sense your love.

Jack was too thrown by the statement to wonder who said it. He launched into a rapid-fire round of gloss-overs and vague denials of that very private truth.

__

Go easy, you don't have to explain yourself to me, you know. Jeez.

He was sure that last bit was a direct imitation of him-- _wait a damn minute! Who the hell am I talking to? _He shuddered as suspicion became realisation, a nauseating certainty... _Oh, oh, nooo, no way!_

__

If I may say, you're quite slow on the uptake, Jack. I've told you before who I am.

__

No, I was dreaming. I'm still dreaming - a nightmare, just a nightm-

__

I am Kal'ai, a Tok'ra, honored to be blended at last, and to someone so admired among the resistance...

"Shut up!" He cried, screwing his eyes up tight, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Jack!" The measure of relief in Daniel's voice was tempered by the imperative, "Jack, it's Daniel. Talk to me."

The Colonel's eyes snapped open. He took hold of Daniel's hands on his shoulders, clinging to them as though he might fall off a precipice. "There's a snake in my head! Get it out!"

Daniel, trying to think through the searing pain coming from his wounded arm, extricated his wrists from Jack's vice-like grip. "Jack, JACK! It's okay, it's not a Goa'uld, she's Tok'ra."

"Same difference!" Jack spat.

__

Hey! That was NOT called for! Kal'ai's tone was decidedly hurt and indignant. _We aren't parasites - we only take willing hosts... usually._

"I- was- NOT- willing!" Jack said through clenched teeth. He could sense Kal'ai's angry response forming, but with a sigh she let the argument go.

__

Please, Jack... you're alive. I did that. Don't hate me, please!

Jack could feel her genuine, imploring need to be accepted alongside his own revulsion at the very thought of blending. Not usually given to ambivalence, overwhelmed by such powerfully conflicting emotions, he clapped his hands to his ears and looked desperately at his friend. "Do something?" He asked, anguished.

Daniel floundered hopelessly, looking around him and finally spotting a phial of the Tok'ra's blue anaesthetic formula. He pressed the phial to Jack's arm and the liquid passed immediately into him. With a look of thanks, Jack's vision blurred and dimmed.

__

Good idea, Jack. Let's sleep on it.

* * * * *

Sam groaned. She couldn't be sure how much time had passed since she was shot-- _Shot?! I was... shot in the chest by a staff-weapon! I'm dead!_

__

I certainly hope not. This is not how I pictured the hereafter.

__

Jolinar! You're back! How--? Something felt different. _No, you're not..._

__

My name is Yanock, though I understand the confusion. I feel Jolinar too. How strange for a host to have borne two different Tok'ra!

A hand on her shoulder gently prompted her to open her eyes a little. "Yanock? Can you hear me?" The unmistakably deep, resonant tone of a Tok'ra voice echoed through her father's lips.

"Selmack." The response was not hers, she knew, but her symbiote's. Still, she was surprised to hear the same deep voice come from her own mouth.

"Were you successful?"

"We are fine. Tired, but well."

Jacob closed his eyes and bowed his head briefly. The next moment Sam saw the familiar sparkle of her father's eyes, glistening with unshed tears. "Sam, it's me, dad. Are you okay?"

Sam nodded. "I'll live." Then, on second thought, she added silently, _we, I meant we, _and felt a glow of appreciation from Yanock. Suddenly, a flash memory of the ambush shattered her mellow mood. With shocking clarity she recalled the way Colonel O' Neill fell limply to the ground, obviously dead. "Oh, God, Colonel!" She cried, "Dad! Is Jack dead?"

From her opposite side, a hand touched hers, held it. "I'm right here, Carter." Turning, she looked into his chocolate eyes, his tired smile bringing a flood of relief. She studied his face. There was something... different, a sense of...

__

Well done child. Yanock remarked quietly within Sam's mind. _Definitely not the easiest of beginnings._

__

He's... got one too? Sam asked her symbiote with the easy telepathy she had discovered during her brief time with Jolinar. A silent affirmative. Sam added her own internal thanks to the Tok'ra who had saved him - blended or not, she couldn't survive without Colonel O'Neill.

****

End of Part One


	2. Counterparts

**__**

Sharing Him, Sharing Her

**__**

Author: Gillian Slater

****

E-mail: LeoricGS at aol.com

****

Rating: PG

****

Teaser: Jack and Sam are badly injured during an ambush on a Tok'Ra planet. Those 'friendly snakes' have a solution for everything.

****

Disclaimer: Nope, I didn't invent the show or the characters; I'm just taking them out for a spin. Don't sue me.

**__**

Author's note: Thanks for everyone who has reviewed this, and my apologies for drip-feeding you like this... It's slow going as I've been doing my finals... eek! Sadly I can't do my dissertation on Stargate...!

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****

Part Two : Counterparts

General Hammond stood at the foot of the ramp, a look of relief and happiness on his face as SG-1, _all_ of SG-1, plus a few extras from what he understood, stepped through the shimmering pool of energy before him.

"Glad to have you back SG-1." Hammond's habitual greeting was somehow more meaningful today, when he had come so close to losing not only his two best officers, but his closest friends. The team were joined by Major Carter's father, who strode to the front of the group. The General greeted him warmly.

"George, I'd like to introduce you to some new friends," Jacob bowed his head to allow Selmack's consciousness to come to the fore, and she in turn motioned for Jack and Sam to do the same. They exchanged glances, Sam's a look of reassurance to Jack's reluctant one.

"General Hammond of the Tau'ri," Selmack's vibrant tone was formal as usual, "Meet Yanock of the Tok'Ra--" Carter extended her hand to shake the General's, who looked a little bemused at formally greeting Sam, "-- and this," she said, indicating Colonel O'Neill, "Is Kal'ai of the Tok'Ra - our youngest sister." Hammond shook Jack's hand also.

"Tell me," he couldn't keep the childish curiosity out of his voice, "How did you decide which one of my officers to blend with?"

"Major Carter's injuries were more severe," Selmack answered for them, "Therefore Yanock, as the elder, was chosen to heal her."

"Plus, I wanted O'Neill," Kal'ai blurted, a definite note of mischief in the voice which was not quite Jack's, "Because I think we are similar, despite his... prejudices. He's stubborn."

General Hammond grinned widely at this. "Oh, there's no doubt about that. How is he coping by the way?"

"He's... not happy with our blending. I think he'll come around. If he would only stop making crude comparisons between the Tok'Ra and the Goa'uld...!"

"Hmm. Well, we can only hope. Could I possibly, err, have them back for debriefing?"

Yanock and Kal'ai bowed and relinquished control back to their hosts, who, noticing the expressions on the faces of the surrounding SGC guards, quickly motioned for Hammond to lead the way out of the Gate Room.

- - - - - - - - - -

This is boring. I know all this already. Kal'ai moaned.

This is procedure. Deal with it. The Colonel thought bluntly.

"Colonel?" Jack looked into the enquiring eyes of his commanding officer.

"Sorry... where were we? Err, ambush..."

The General's expression was thoughtful and he glanced from Jack to Sam. "Let's, ah, dispense with protocol for the moment and skip on ahead. I've been well enough informed of the circumstances that lead to your..." searching for the word, he looked to Major Carter.

"Blending, sir." Carter prompted him, noticing the way the Colonel shuddered at the prospect.

"Right, _blending_." General Hammond continued, "So now we just have to figure out how to take full advantage of the situation."

Jack glanced over as Sam's eyes glossed over, indicating that she was communicating with her symbiote. A moment later she looked up, a little concerned.

"Sir, Yanock thinks that the Colonel and I should join the Tok'Ra to serve their cause..."

Hammond's eyes widened momentarily, then Carter's concern was mirrored in his furrowed brow. "Could you tell him that--"

"He can hear you, sir." Carter interjected.

"Oh, of course... Yanock, you must know that the Tok'Ra cause _is_ our cause. Respectfully, I'm not willing to give up half of SG-1, and I'm fairly sure that Jack and Sam aren't that eager to emigrate, am I right?" He looked at his officers. Sam nodded emphatically, and Jack silently mouthed, 'Oh, yeah!'

"Plus," added Daniel in a diplomatic tone, "The Tok'Ra already have a human representative: Jacob. So it'd be equally useful having Tok'Ra counterparts here on Earth...?"

"Or, we could just lose the snakes and this whole discussion would be unnecessary..." Jack suggested with a hopeful catch in his voice. He internally braced himself for a torrent of reprisals from Kal'ai, but was completely wrong-footed at her silence, feeling only that she was wounded to the quick. He gulped away a stab of guilt.

Sam watched at the bizarre show of conflicting emotions on the Colonel's face, sympathy in her eyes. She'd reconciled herself to sharing her experience with Yanock, but he...

Difficult. He's got years of prejudice to overcome. Yanock remarked, echoing her own thoughts exactly.

The uncomfortable silence was broken by the familiar and unmistakable sound of the Gate chevrons locking.

"Incoming traveller!" The tannoy blared out, "Tok'Ra IDC."

"Well, we'll take a rain check on this debate shall we?" General Hammond stood, directing everyone to the control room with a nod.

Jacob went immediately to the bottom of the ramp, a puzzled look on his face; no one was due to visit at the moment.

"Dalnor!?" He exclaimed, seeing a dishevelled older man stumble through the Gate wearing the traditional garb of the Tok'Ra.

"Selmack," Dalnor gaped, "Van'Tesh is... taken." He slumped to the floor. Within moments, Janet and her team of medics swooped down on the injured man and bore him away, leaving nothing but questions on Jacob's lips.

- - - - - - - - - -

General Hammond and SG-1 stood quietly to one side, eavesdropping from a respectful distance as the two high-ranking Tok'Ra conversed in their ancient language.

"Van'Tesh was... due to be populated in the next few days..." Daniel translated for the others in a low voice, "But there was an aerial attack. Death-gliders and... I don't know that word..."

The archaeologist's eyebrows shot up above the metal rims of his glasses. "Kephra?!"

"Daniel!" Colonel O'Neill's whispered tone was imperative. "You're killing me!"

"Oh, uh, Kephra. Ancient Egyptian god, Ra's right hand, usually depicted in the form of a scarab..." his textbook definition was cut off by Jack's familiar 'get-to-the-point' scowl. "But in this case I think they mean a Goa'uld. One we haven't met before."

"A _new_ one? I thought we'd--"

Not a new one. A very, very old one. Kal'ai interjected, her tone oddly cold.

Care to expand on that? But nothing followed except a feeling of quiet hatred which sunk like lead in Jack's stomach. Looking over at Carter, her face held the same sickly look.

"Is your snake telling you more than mine?"

"I think he's taken the fifth, sir. It's weird... he just won't say."

The others were looking at Jack and Sam with curious expressions.

"Our symbiotes seem to know who you're talking about--" Sam began.

"And they don't exactly have fluffy bunny feelings about him."

Their low conversation was interrupted, then, as Jacob returned to their side, but it was Selmack who spoke.

"General Hammond. I would like a moment alone with Yanock and Kal'ai."

The General looked uncomfortable with the situation, but nodded and moved to the door, motioning for Daniel and Teal'c to follow.

Carter and O'Neill bowed their heads and moments later their own consciousnesses had been superseded by their Tok'ra counterparts.

"Many valued operatives are being held on Van'Tesh. Their freedom is paramount, as is the secret information they contain. The base's defences were not fully operational, and it is likely this is why Kephra chose this moment to attack."

"We believed Kephra to have been killed long ago," Yanock said, a strangely bewildered tone to Sam's warped voice.

"Clearly we were mistaken," Selmack replied, "All that matters now is the rescue of our brothers, and reclaiming Van'tesh."

"The Tau'ri may not be willing to help. My host certainly does not like the idea." Kal'ai commented angrily.

You can say that again! Jack remarked silently, _Let's all charge into a Goa'uld occupied base on the off chance they've kept anybody alive? You snakes understand the meaning of the word 'kamikaze'?_

"We can but try." Yanock sounded less than optimistic.

Jack and Sam recovered their own identities and were about to start arguing with Selmack, but he turned and swept quickly out of the room in search of General Hammond.

- - - - - - - - - -

"I'm sorry, Selmack, I sympathise, really, but I can't just send my people into what could well be a hopeless situation. You can't make me any guarantees that there actually are any Tok'Ra left in there to be rescued, and most of my teams are already engaged off-world. With the best will in the world, SG-1 can't be expected to retake a whole facility!"

"General Hammond, the Tok'Ra and the Tau'ri have long been allies, have we not? And we have spared no effort in coming to your aid--"

"I'm sorry!" The General's raised hands signified a definite end of discussion. "The answer's no."

Selmack bowed his head, and Jacob Carter's bright eyes shone out again. "It's rare that Selmack and I disagree on anything, but strategically speaking, I think you're right, George. But the loss of Van'Tesh is a huge blow for the Tok'Ra--"

"We'll send a probe through to assess the situation, but if there's any threat to this facility, I'll order the planet locked out of the dialling computer." Jacob nodded and left the General's office.

The MALP sent through to the Tok'Ra's new second base site was promptly recognised as unfriendly by the Jaffa guarding the Gate, and destroyed by a barrage of staff-blasts. As the monitor in the Gate control room fuzzed static, General Hammond nodded to the technician and with a single keystroke, Van'Tesh was locked out of the dialling computer. Looking on, Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter and Jacob sighed as their symbiotes began to protest bitterly in their minds.

Oh, shut up. Jack told the whinging Kal'ai wearily.

- - - - - - - - - -

At 0300 hours, the base was dark and silent. The guards by the Gate room slouched against the huge steel doors, their guns hanging loosely by their sides.

Bolts of blue streaked out suddenly, and the guards slumped to the floor. Jack and Jacob emerged from round the corner, zats in their hands, and dragged the unconscious guards out of sight. Jack swiped his card through the slot and the enormous door lifted.

Inside the Gate room, Jacob looked up to the huge glass window of the gallery above and motioned to Sam, who gave a thumbs up and then disappeared from view.

The huge stone circle began to turn, locking the chevrons in place one by one. Carter jogged into the Gate room just as the huge, bright fountain of energy exploded out horizontally and then settled back into a shimmering pool before them.

Somewhere in the facility, an alarm began to sound. Casually O'Neill turned and blasted the door with his zat, bringing the huge steel barrier hissing down.

"STOP!" The three turned quickly to see General Hammond in the Control Room above, his expression angry and confused. Jack motioned for Sam and her father to go ahead, and they stepped quickly up to the event horizon and disappeared through.

"Colonel O'Neill, what the HELL are you doing?" The General's voice boomed into the Gate room. O'Neill saluted his CO smartly with a mocking smile, jogged up the ramp, and stepped casually through the gate. The rippling wormhole dissipated behind him.

****

End of Part Two


	3. Incursion

**__**

Sharing Him, Sharing Her

Author: Gillian Slater

****

E-mail: PG

PG****

Teaser: Jack and Sam are badly injured during an ambush on a Tok'Ra planet. Those 'friendly snakes' have a solution for everything.

****

Disclaimer: Nope, I didn't invent the show or the characters; I'm just taking them out for a spin. Don't sue me.

Gillian Slater PG Jack and Sam are badly injured during an ambush on a Tok'Ra planet. Those 'friendly snakes' have a solution for everything. Nope, I didn't invent the show or the characters; I'm just taking them out for a spin. Don't sue me.****

Part Three - Incursion

As Jack emerged form the wormhole, his eyes went wide and he instantly threw himself to the floor, the staff-blast missing him by inches. He returned fire awkwardly, and the Jaffa fell.

A hand reached down to help him up.

"Come, there will be re-enforcements soon." Yanock's tone was urgent as Colonel O'Neill got to his feet.

"We might have some of our own if General Hammond sends his soldiers after us." Kal'ai quipped, a sarcastic smile playing on Jack's face.

"We can use all the help we can get, whether it comes willingly or not."

Chastened, Kal'ai nodded solemnly to the two senior Tok'Ra and followed as they crept stealthily out of the room.

- - - - - - - - - -

This was different. Every time Jack had allowed Kal'ai to speak through him, he had felt only like his own consciousness was standing back out of the way. Now, though, he felt suffocated. He tried to call out, but had no voice. It was like a great weight was pressing on his brain, and he was no longer in control of his body, just a prisoner inside it.

He wondered how Carter was coping. She actually seemed to be okay with the whole 'blending' thing; she and Yanock appeared to have... bonded or something. And now the snake was squashing her, too.

Jeez, talk about biting the hand that feeds ya! As soon as I get my faculties back, you guys are soooo dead.

Kal'ai didn't believe _that_ for a second.

- - - - - - - - - -

The three Tok'Ra quickly agreed upon a plan. Within minutes it was clear from the number of extremely close-calls they had with Kephra's Scarab-guards that they would not be able to re-take the base by themselves.

"We must accept that Van'Tesh is lost," Selmack told them quietly, "But we can still rescue our comrades, preserve our secrets..."

"And take a few Goa'uld out in the process!" Kal'ai's exclamation came out a little louder than she'd intended.

Just moments later, two Jaffa appeared to investigate, calling out "Kree!" as they brandished their staff weapons at the intruders.

With O'Neill's lightening fast reflexes, Kal'ai felled the first with a quick zat-blast, and simultaneously opened a door in front of them, shielding all three Tok'Ra from the well-aimed staff-blast. She ducked out, fired, and the scarab guard fell, armour clattering as he hit the ground.

Yanock and Selmack exchanged a look of surprise as Kal'ai turned back to them after the split-second fire fight.

"You are becoming too much like your host, Kal'ai - reckless." Yanock chided gently.

"It has it's benefits," she closed the door which had saved all their lives. "Jack is most resourceful when he is in danger."

The two older Tok'Ra exchanged a look of mutual incredulity at Kal'ai's capacity for rash action and immaturity: clearly she and the Colonel she inhabited were perfectly suited.

Quickly and gravely, Selmack ordered Kal'ai and Yanock to make their way to the holding cells and search for their captive brothers and sisters. Selmack grimly steeled himself to set about destroying their brand new base. Van'Tesh was built part-way into a large volcano; the innermost tunnels close to the core had not yet been made safe for use. One large explosion could do the trick, although it was probably suicide. _For the greater good, Jacob, _Selmack told his silent host, _I have dishonoured our bond and sentenced us both to death._

- - - - - - - - - -

They were lucky. There were just two Scarab guards pacing restlessly back and forth I front of the large holding cell. Inside the cell, Yanock was dismayed to count only eight Tok'Ra.

"So few..." Kal'ai whispered.

A few quick zat blasts and the guards lay motionless. The Tok'Ra were all on their feet in a heartbeat, staring at their Tau'ri rescuers with a mixture of gratitude and surprise.

"I know you--" one of them began. Kal'ai held up one hand to silence the man.

"This is not the time," O'Neill's warped voice was barely a whisper. Kal'ai retrieved the keys and swiftly opened the cell. "Come."

The Tok'Ra followed with as much stealth as their injuries would allow, with Kal'ai and Yanock quietly dispatching any guards they came across.

As they neared the base's main entrance, Yanock frowned and said, "Selmack should have set his explosives by now..."

Kal'ai quickly volunteered to go and look for him, but Yanock forbade it. "Selmack can take care of himself."

If you get my dad killed, so help me I'll declare war on the Tok'Ra myself! Sam's furious consciousness threw the thought at him.

I am sorry, Samantha. There was no other way, you must understand...

Then let the Colonel go and find him. We can get the prisoners to the Gate.

Yanock considered this. It was the first time his host had shown any sign of co-operating with the mission, and he would far prefer it to be a partnership than to simply hold her hostage, smothering her useful intellect. He turned to Kal'ai.

"Go and find out what has happened to Jacob and Selmack. If they are dead, you must complete his task."

Kal'ai nodded solemnly and jogged off down another tunnel.

- - - - - - - - - -

The Gate was heavily guarded. Over a dozen Jaffa paced vigilantly about the grassy plain at the foot of the massive volcano.

Crouched behind an empty supply vehicle near the base entrance, Yanock and Major Carter assessed the situation.

Way too many to get past with casualties, Sam noted.

Yanock agreed. _A diversion, then._ He looked towards the steel shafts of a half-built guard tower, noting the structure's instability at the base. There were two Jaffa pacing not ten feet from it.

Yanock turned to the rescued Tok'Ra behind him. "Serrith, Ferinor, can you collapse that tower?"

They were in the best health of all the Van'Tesh survivors, and they even managed to look enthusiastic as they nodded and crept away.

"Be ready," Yanock whispered to the others, "Oreth, we will lay down covering fire, the rest of you must make it to the gate."

Minutes later, the ugly tower crashed down, crushing the two Scarab guards beneath it. As the guards cried out, other Jaffa exclaimed and raced to their aid, only to be felled by Sam and Oreth's well-aimed zat-blasts.

As the Jaffa realised that it was a diversion and began firing their staff weapons in Sam's general direction, they managed to accidentally kill the Jaffa emerging from the base behind her.

Meanwhile, the other escapees made their way as quickly as they could towards to Gate, taking advantage of the diversion. The first to reach the DHD hastily started to dial, only to be shot in the back. He slumped over the device, and the sequence stopped.

NO! Yanock cried within Sam's mind as the Tok'Ra fell. She looked to see the others quickly surrounded by Jaffa and made to kneel in the grass, their hands behind their heads. Oreth leaped up instinctively, only to be dragged roughly back to the ground by Yanock. "No, it is suicide--"

And then they heard the unmistakable sounds of staff weapons being opened to fire, directly behind their heads.

****

End of Part Three


	4. Rescue

_**Sharing Him, Sharing Her**_

**Author's Note:****** My apologies for the EXTREME delay in posting the last few chapters of this fic… I kinda went backpacking round Australia for a year. I'm still in Oz, I just felt the unfinished work calling to me and had to buy a laptop. So here's the ending - I hope it was worth the wait!

**Part Four - Rescue**

Colonel O'Neill and his unwelcome passenger crept stealthily down tunnel after tunnel towards the volcano's core on what was, for once, a mission they both wished to accomplish, if for very different reasons.

O'Neill didn't give a toss about the fate of this half-finished base, but he would find Jacob at all costs. Sam's father, sensible, calm but with an expression that always gave you the idea he found the whole business amusing... Jack would never understand how he lived his life in peaceful co-existence with Selmack.

_He has not your prejudices._ Kal'ai answered the Colonel's train of thought.

_Prejudice?! If that's what you wanna call objection to having a parasite who can hijack a person any time it wants!_

Kal'ai was about to snipe back at him, but the sound of approaching footsteps froze them both_. Just... keep on track, okay_, she hissed silently in his mind.

They hid behind a wide support buttress as a detachment of Scarab-headed Jafa marched by the end of the corridor.

It was getting noticeably hotter as they reached the opening of an obviously unfinished tunnel which ended in solid rock, with only one other off-shoot.

Squinting in the gloom, O'Neill saw a body lying at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't a Jafa...

_Jacob!_

_Selmack!_

For once it seemed the unwilling partners were united in their shock and loss. Two Jafa stood near the body, staff-weapons poised. Using the naturally uneven walls for cover, they inched down the tunnel, ears straining for information.

"My Lord, the intruder," one of the Jafa spoke, bowing his head as from the side tunnel stepped a tall, gold-clad, caped man.

Jack was suddenly hit by a wave of anger and hatred he was sure was not his own.

_Kephra_, was all the symbiote had to say.

_Err, did I miss something? I mean, beside the usual 'Goa'uld bad' thing, what's with this guy?_

_This_, Kal'ai fumed_, is the original shol'va. The Tok'ra who betrayed us._

_He's Tok'ra?!_

_When the first dissident Goa'uld decided it was wrong to dominate the host, and formed an alliance to stop the others from so doing, he was among the leaders._

_Looks like he changed his tune. _

_It was a lie, of course, but at that time we had little experience in deception. Kephra was Ra's right hand, sent to wipe out the defectors, and wipe us out he did... almost. Only three survived, our leaders to this day._

The Jafa dragged Jacob to his feet.

_Wait, he's alive!_ Jack exclaimed.

Kephra reached out and grabbed Jacob's chin, raising his face. "A different shell, but I would know you anywhere, Selmack. This host suits you better, brother."

"You have hidden yourself well. We have searched whole galaxies for you." Jacob's distorted voice sounded weak.

"You and your traitor brethren would have done better to stay a small, misguided faction of the Goa'uld. We might only have stifled you. In declaring yourselves a race, you invite the vengeance of the Gods. Your kind will not survive this time. Your secrets will be known to me."

Kephra raised his hand to Jacob's forehead. The spidery gold hand-device glinted over his spread fingers. The gem in the centre of his palm glowed bright blue and emitted it's ethereal beam. Jacob's scream was distorted; Selmack had control at the moment, and Kephra appeared pleased by the fact.

_That's it!_ Kal'ai raged, stepped from the hiding place and brought up the firearm, fully expecting a protest from her host against this spontaneous, probably suicidal course of action, but all she could feel from the human was an impulse to attack as strong as her own.

The Scarab-guard standing behind Kephra noticed the movement at once, but Kal'ai had time to get a shot off before a fiery bolt of energy flew in their direction and burst into the Colonel's leg. As Kal'ai dropped with a distorted cry of pain, echoed silently within by O'Neill, she saw that her effort had not been in vain. The bright blue stream of energy rippling into Jacob's head had been broken, and Kephra was down too, blood oozing from a wound in his upper chest.

It was the only thing which prevented the startled Jafa from advancing to finish the intruder off; instead he dropped his staff-weapon and dragged Kephra back several paces, slapping his wrist to call forth the transportation rings. Within seconds, the fallen Goa'uld and his guard were enveloped in light and disappeared.

With supreme effort, Jacob pulled himself to his feet and staggered over to O'Neill.

"Kal'ai?" Selmack's pained voice asked as he knelt to roll the Colonel onto his back.

"She's busy," O'Neill replied, smiling as Jacob's eyes widened in surprise. As his symbiote had instinctively thrown herself into healing her host, O'Neill had been able to force his own consciousness back into the driving seat.

"What do you intend to do now, Colonel," the question was laced with warning. O'Neill stared straight into Jacob's deep brown eyes, so human, but from which an alien stared back. Their gaze locked stubbornly for a few moments, then O'Neill held out his hand for assistance.

"Let's blow the place. And then maybe the four of us will get out of here alive."

Jacob's hard expression relaxed into a relieved smile and he took the proffered hand to haul O'Neill to his feet. "Thank you, Colonel, on behalf of--"

"Really don't," O'Neill cut off what would probably have been a very eloquent speech by the Tok'ra, "We'll talk punitive damages later." He gingerly set his weight on his injured leg and then limped off down the tunnel into the depths of the volcano with Selmack following after.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hands raised, Sam and Oreth were marched out of their hiding place towards the DHD, where the injured Tok'ra were being held at staff-weapon-point.

_We have explosives… how do you feel about a kamikaze run?_ Yanock suggested, a grim tone to his thoughts.

_So, you do know what that means,_ Sam noted bitterly, remembering the Colonel's earlier tirade.

_The Tok'ra have always understood the meaning of self-sacrifice._

_So do humans, but we tend to think of it as a last resort, and I don't think we're there yet. Look._

That moment, a chevron lit up on the gate, quickly followed by another… the Jafa guards turned suddenly, weapons whirling towards the new threat. Yanock reached out to grab the edge of Oreth's leather jerkin, ready to drop. Ferrinor, kneeling by the DHD, caught the little gesture and nodded. As the last of the symbols turned orange, Ferrinor yelled out a single word in the Tok'ra language and dropped to the mossy ground, pushing the Scarab-guard in front of him hard in the back of the knees as he went. The guard stumbled forwards and was immediately engulfed in the fountain of energy erupting from the forming wormhole. The other Tok'ra also flattened themselves to the floor in a heartbeat. At the same time Carter dove to the ground, pulling Oreth with her by the shirt. The staff-blast from the guard behind them flew past inches from their heads.

The khaki-clad soldier had barely emerged from the Gate before he was firing in a broad sweep, quickly joined by the other men of his unit. They stood in close formation just beyond the shimmering event horizon, their automatic weapons blazing. The few Jafa still standing returned fire, but they were quickly outnumbered as another SG team leaped from the wormhole.

As quickly as it had begun, the firefight was over. As the gunfire ceased, Sam looked up to find Major Ashton of SG-5 running over to the injured Tok'ra, and the members of SG-9 fanning out to check the fallen Jafa and secure the area.

As she got to her feet a young Lieutenant approached her with his gun raised and a wary look in his eyes. "Hold it there, Ma'am," he ordered. His tone was uncertain; Sam could tell the lad was uncomfortable about holding a weapon on a senior officer.

_Are you gonna let me have my faculties back now, or do we have to go back the SGC under guard?_

Sam felt Yanock's hesitance, and finally a reluctant stepping aside of his consciousness, tinged with an apology. Carter's head bowed, and when her eyes opened again, it was Sam looking out. It felt like a great pressure had been lifted from her mind.

_Thanks_, she told her silent symbiote.

"It's all right, Lieutenant, it's Major Carter here."

"With respect, Ma'am, General Hammond's orders are to restrain you, no matter who you say you are."

Sam huffed. She should've guessed the General would anticipate a trick. The Goa'uld had been known to use the voice of their hosts to fool people before.

_But not the Tok'ra,_ Yanock put in pointedly.

_Oh no, you just kidnap your hosts openly…_ Sam retorted. She had more of a rant planned, but let it drop as she felt Yanock's genuine guilt and sorrow. Knowing the pride of the Tok'ra, Sam figured his own shame at his actions would have more effect than a lecture from her. She turned her attention back to her armed guard.

"Well, there's no time for restraint at the moment, soldier. Colonel O'Neill is still missing, and--"

Her sentence was lost in the bang of an explosion. She turned towards the sound, expecting to see smoke and fire, but there was none. The bomb had gone off _inside_ the volcano!

_Colonel!!_ _DAD!_

She took off at a run, leaving the Lieutenant shouting behind her. She could only hope that he would be too afraid of court marshal to shoot a superior, even under orders. The great mountain began to rumble, gently at first but with increasing intensity. The ground was already trembling as she reached the hatched entrance to the base.

_We cannot go in there! _Yanock warned,_ The volcano--_

_I won't leave them! What the hell were you just saying about sacrifice?!_

_Our deaths will not help them, Sam._

She wasn't listening anymore. She hauled the heavy mail-clad body of a Jafa away from the hatch and dove inside. Sprinting down the main tunnel, each rumble was sufficiently powerful to knock her into the wall. Arms cut and bleeding she came to the great hall from which several tunnels lead off. Or they used to. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the devastation the initial stages of eruption had already caused. The mouths of each tunnel were blocked by debris and several Jafa corpses lay half-buried, even as rocks were still falling all around her.

_They can't be in there, NO!_

_SAM!_ Yanock threw the thought at her so hard it hurt her mind, jolting her out of the panic. _We must leave, the way out will not be there for long!_

She turned to see that he was right; already the arch of the main tunnel was cracking and showering smaller chucks of rock. She wrenched her eyes away from the body-strewn cavern, clambered over the rocks back into the widest tunnel and ran for the exit, bombarded all the way.

Several near-misses later, she hurled herself out of the hatch and tumbled to a halt by Major Ashton's feet. He dragged her to her feet.

"Come on!" he yelled and yanked her by the arm toward the Gate; the huge stone ring was already turning back and forth in the combination of symbols to reach Earth.

The sky was a sullen grey now, fine ash falling like dirty snow. She struggled against the Major's grip as they neared the Gate, but both were flung to the ground as the very earth beneath them trembled violently. Ashton pitched head-first into a piled of loose rocks, instantly unconscious. As another deafening bang resounded, Sam looked up towards the top of the volcano, almost invisible through the veil of ash. The top of the mountain popped off like a champagne cork, forced upward by a fountain of bright lava erupting fifty feet into the air. Huge boulders exploded out with the lava, arcing high and then shooting down like mortar shells. One of these deadly missiles shot up at a wider angle and then fell straight for her position.

_It was nice knowing you_, she thought to Yanock in a moment of fatalism.

All she felt from the Tok'ra was amazement. His mind seemed to be focused entirely on the motion of the boulder that was their imminent doom. She looked more closely at it…

_It's decelerating!_

Indeed the object was not speeding to earth with the momentum of a freight-train, but slowing, it's angle becoming shallower.

_A death-glider!_ Yanock's exclamation was filled with fresh fear.

_Typical, _Sam huffed amid the wash of dread and adrenaline, _The world's coming to an end and still the Jafa are trying to kill us!_

The glider was so low that its shape was clearly distinguishable as it soared over their heads, circling to lose speed and height, trying to land. Its back end was on fire, trailing smoke as it shot by. Finally it levelled out and grounded, skating along and sending up a gigantic plume of dust to mingle with the ash as it ploughed a furrow all the way towards the Stargate…

_They're trying to destroy the Gate, block our way out!_ Sam cried silently. She leaped up and seized Major Ashton by the shoulders, shaking him conscious, pulling him up, urging him onwards. By now the Gate was active and the soldiers were leaping through, each supporting a Tok'ra.

_At least they made it_, Sam thought.

The glider lay dormant in its own little crater some fifteen yards from the Stargate, smouldering. Sam wondered if the Jafa pilot had survived the crash only to be melted alive when the lava reached him; a quick glance behind at the orange river oozing its way down the mountainside told her that wouldn't be long.

She shoved the dazed Major ahead of her, past the glider, and he stumbled up the steps and disappeared into the wormhole. About to follow, she risked a glance back at the downed craft. The large front window was shattered, the two occupants moaning and trying to move…

_Selmack!_ Yanock's shout of relief reverberated round Carter's chaotic mind, the very force of it thrusting her startled consciousness back out of the way. Yanock quickly assumed control of her body, dashing over to the death-glider and reaching in through the broken window to grasp Jacob's outstretched hand.

It was a messy process, getting him out, as Yanock had to physically drag him out of his seat, over the sharp shards of glass. In the back of her mind Sam gasped at the blood, feared for her father's life all over again…

_Only flesh wounds,_ Yanock assured her, _Nothing a Tok'ra cannot repair._

"Did the others survive?" Selmack gasped out the question through Jacob's lips as he got to his feet and helped to extricate Colonel O'Neill.

"Yes, we are the last. A successful mission, brother." Yanock replied.

"Would you snakes stop congratulating yourselves long enough to get me outta here?!" O'Neill's voice was ragged and breathless, but it was his own.

The two Tok'ra exchanged exasperated glances and pulled the Colonel head first though the window. He grunted as the glass sliced through his uniform and cut into his stomach, but finally slid ungraciously to the ground and swore as he stood up on his already wounded leg.

The Colonel turned to look at the debris strewn plain, dusted with a thick coating of ash, littered with rocks and dead Scarab-guards, all about to be consumed by the stream of molten lava making its way steadily towards them. Even at this distance, he could feel the temperature rising, the very air burning his throat as he breathed.

"Well, y'know what they say: if you can't stand the heat…" he gestured to the open wormhole and the three of them leapt into the giant puddle to safety.

**End of Part Four**


	5. Parting Company

_**Sharing Him, Sharing Her**_

**Part Five - Parting Company**

The Gate room was in chaos. Soldiers lined the walls with their guns trained upon the refugees, the eight men of the rescue teams stood on the ramp, their two Colonels reporting breathlessly to General Hammond. Janet flitted between the wounded humans and Tok'ra, barking orders to the white-coated med-techs who followed.

As Jacob, Carter and O'Neill emerged, General Hammond breathed a sigh of relief and signalled up to the Control Room to shut off the Gate. He blinked as it's brightness disappeared, and his sight readjusted to the usual electric lighting. He gestured to a nearby soldier.

"Restrain those Tok'ra, Lieutenant!" The soldiers advanced on them, weapon at the ready. O'Neill raised his hands.

"Whoa, there. Not me, okay. Just them." He pointed at Sam and Jacob, who returned looks of hurt.

"Hey, you started this," he reasoned.

But the Lieutenant was not about to take any chances. Joined by two of his comrades, he diligently kept his gun at the ready as the General joined them at the top of the ramp.

O'Neill began to protest further but Hammond simply held up his hand.

"I don't want to hear it Colonel! You're all under arrest for…" he trailed off, flustered, "Well, for going AWOL and causing all this damned havoc!" He looked at each of them, obviously still wondering if they really had been kidnapped by their symbiotes, or if they had simply been persuaded to disobey orders and go vigilante. He turned to the guards, "Lock 'em up; I'll be there in a while ."

Carter, O'Neill and Jacob were frog-marched out of the Gate room, and promptly secured in a bunkroom with a guard posted outside the door.

Carter and Jacob seated themselves on a bunk each, glaring as O'Neill flung himself down in a much more inelegant fashion.

"So, are you guys gonna let go your stranglehold now?" He asked the Tok'ra, "Or is it that you got a little taste of power and just can't let go? Sounds just like another parasitic race I could mention."

_I thought you'd gotten over this, Jack._ Kal'ai scolded.

_Oh yeah, ancient history. So, you took control of my body and squashed my mind away in a corner, which is NOT a nice feeling by the way, and you may just get me court-marshalled, but sure, forgive and forget!_

_A powerful Goa'uld is dead, and we saved lives! The Tau'ri don't value this at all?_

_It's the principle of the thing. Like stealing for a good cause is still stealing._

_And yet Robin Hood is one of your celebrated heroes._ Kal'ai commented dryly, a note of childish stubbornness in her thoughts.

She'd been rooting round in his memory again, he knew. God, if she was plucking folk tales from his mind she must be going deep. Who knew what else she'd find there. The thought creeped him out more than he thought possible.

_Get the hell out of my memory, you nosy worm!_

Selmack spoke up, his eyes lowered to the floor and Jacob's face fixed in a grim frown. "We will release our hosts soon. First we wish to explain our actions to General Hammond. He must understand that it was necessary."

"I'm just saying that the relationship between humans and Tok'ra has always been fairly shaky - God knows I'm not a big fan," O'Neill felt a bite of anger from Kal'ai at this, "And purely for the sake of keeping the interplanetary peace, I'd offer this advice: You need to let Carter and Jacob speak now, trust me, Hammond would rather listen to them."

The door clicked and opened. General Hammond stepped in, red-faced and furious.

The three prisoners stood instantly, and O'Neill saluted.

"General, on behalf of all Tok'ra we must--"

"Quiet." Hammond cut off Selmack's speech. "Let me speak to my officers, NOW!"

O'Neill threw Selmack a 'told-you-so' glance. Jacob and Sam's heads bowed, for a longer time than they would usually for a transition of control. O'Neill guessed it would take a few seconds for Carter and Jacob to ease back in.

Carter shuddered and looked up, quickly snapping a smart salute.

"Major Carter here, sir."

Similarly Jacob shook his head as if to clear it and looked at the General. "It's me George. Ugh, that was unpleasant."

Hammond eyed them suspiciously. "It's really you?"

"I assure you sir, we're back in control of ourselves now." Carter said firmly, then added, no doubt to ease the General's wrath, "As a mater of fact Yanock already released me back on Van'Tesh, but I was fairly traumatized, so he lead us home."

_I appreciate your defence of my actions._ Yanock thanked her silently.

_I'm not defending what you did, just that you ended it._ She pointed out in reply.

The General looked at his officers, friends, really, and was at a loss for what to do. Things had started out so well when the Tok'ra had offered their assistance in saving the lives of his two best officers, but now…

"Well what would _you_ suggest I do with you? Obviously I can't give you the freedom of the base knowing that your symbiotes could just take over anytime and go off on some personal quest!"

_We would NOT!_ Kal'ai exclaimed sharply.

A look at Carter and Jacob told Colonel O'Neill that their snakes were making similarly vehement denials. Carter relayed the Tok'ra's sentiments to General Hammond, and Jacob nodded his agreement.

"Van'Tesh was as important to them as this place is to Earth," Jacob put in, "I don't agree with their methods, but I think the result was worth it. I wouldn't be too harsh on them General."

Selmack glowed with pride at his host's devotion to the Tok'ra cause. It ached the symbiote to know the discomfort he had put Jacob through, but was pleased he understood that only the most urgent circumstances could have caused him to abuse their blending.

The door opened again, and Dr. Frasier stepped in, motioning for a private word with General Hammond. The General listened as she reported in hushed tones, then turned back with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Well, it seems there might just be a solution convenient to all parties. Come with me."

- - - - - - - - - - -

The SGC's med-lab was purposefully dim, no doubt to spare the patients from the garish halogen lights.

"Most of the Tok'ra were able to heal their own injuries, and they've been sent to guest quarters to rest," Janet reported, "But these two…" her voice held that familiar tone a doctor only uses to imply the worst.

Jacob's face fell as he recognised the two Tok'ra warriors whose faces were almost completely obscured by oxygen masks, their beds surrounded by life-support equipment.

"Toreph," he touched the hand of the first, closing his eyes as if he could feel the man's life-force draining away, "The architect of Van'Tesh."

O'Neill felt a welling of sadness within his mind and knew instantly that Kal'ai grieved. He looked towards the occupant of the second bed, surprised to see a dark-skinned young woman. Back on Van'Tesh when he'd helped free the captives, it was so dark and they were all so battle-stained that he'd had no idea there was a woman amongst the injured.

_You knew her?_ O'Neill asked his symbiote delicately.

_She's not dead,_ Kal'ai pointed out, _Not yet. Her name is Iyola - She was meant to be my host, before I was called to heal and blend with you. I do not know the Tok'ra she eventually bonded with._

"Will they make it?" Carter's voice held the same note of concern and sadness, Yanock's emotions superimposing themselves onto his host's.

_They will not._ Yanock answered her question within her mind, even as Janet replied in kind.

"Their symbiotes were very weak from healing their previous injuries, and then they were caught in the crossfire too. It was too much for them." She looked towards a large metal canister sitting on a trolley at the far end of the infirmary. "I had to extract the Tok'ra as soon as they died, or their hosts would have been poisoned."

"And now they're dying anyway, because they have no immune system." Carter finished sombrely.

"Well, as I was just suggesting to General Hammond, we could save them yet," Janet looked meaningfully at O'Neill and Carter, "Or your symbiotes could."

_You mean to extract me?_ Kal'ai was incredulous.

_I don't want to offend you or anything, but it's the perfect solution. You can have the host you were meant for--_

_You mean someone who actually wants to be blended with me?_ She sounded bitter.

_I think we both realise this relationship isn't working, honey._ O'Neill joked softly, and he could feel her amusement as she conceded.

_What will happen to you?_ Kal'ai's thoughts held a genuine tinge of concern and affection.

_I'll be fine. The doc has all sorts of concoctions for this sort of thing._ O'Neill assured her, at the same time wondering why he was trying so hard to spare her feelings.

_You've grown to like me, perhaps?_ She suggested.

_Call it a momentary lapse in judgement._

O'Neill looked over at Carter, who nodded back at him. "Yanock's agreed, sir." Her tone held a touch of regret.

"Okay doc, lets get these snakes in where they can do some good."

- - - - - - - - - -

The procedure was a relatively simple one. O'Neill begged Dr. Frasier to sedate him completely, since frankly the thought of being awake whilst Kal'ai burrowed through into his stomach, travelled up his oesophagus and exited through his mouth was too disgusting to contemplate.

Unfortunately the doc' was adamant that he would only need a local anaesthetic injected into his belly, since any more than that would affect Kal'ai too, and she needed to be on top form to heal her new host.

_Here goes, then. Good luck._ O'Neill told Kal'ai by way of a goodbye. From the symbiote he felt a pang of sadness at the parting.

_I'll miss you, Jack. You were a good training period. After you, I'll be able to put up with any host._

_I'm flattered._ He replied dryly, _Weren't you leaving?_ He felt her amusement briefly, then concentration as she readied herself for the effort ahead.

_I'll try to make this quick_, Kal'ai told him, and in a rush of strange sensation she was out, wriggling into Janet's gloved hands. O'Neill gagged and coughed, sickened but glad it was over.

The fearsome-looking snake-creature that was Kal'ai squealed and writhed to be in the open air, and Janet took her quickly over to the unconscious Iyola. The Tok'ra leaped straight into the girl's mouth and disappeared. Briefly her eyes opened and glowed as Kal'ai settled into her new home.

"Ugh. I can't believe you did that to me!" O'Neill commented as he watched.

"It saved your life, Colonel," Janet chided.

Moments later Carter went through the same unpleasant experience, and Yanock was transferred into the dying architect, Toreph.

"How are you feeling, Carter?" The Colonel asked her.

"It's weird, sir. I think I'm actually sorry Yanock's gone. It feels like losing a part of myself."

O'Neill grinned. "Like a diseased kidney."

Carter laughed lightly. The experience of being blended certainly hadn't diminished the Colonel's open disapproval of it. Having carried a Tok'ra twice now, she could admit that it was not the lifestyle for her. Both Jolinar and Yanock had at some stage dominated her against her will, and even though she was not the type to hold a grudge, she felt that she would never attain the kind of true symbiosis that her dad had reached with Selmack. Yanock had been a calm presence, wise and determined; Sam felt he would co-exist well with Toreph, an older man, and a respected craftsman and warrior of the Tok'ra.

_At last,_ Sam thought to the quietness of her own mind, _I'm just myself again._

Janet checked on the new hosts briefly and then left them to begin their healing process. Instead she advanced on O'Neill and Carter with a couple of prepared syringes.

The Colonel groaned. "Tretonin?" Frasier nodded. O'Neill looked over at Carter and rolled his eyes. "Guess we'd better get used to needles, huh. We'll be on this stuff forever now, like Teal'c."

"Actually," Janet corrected him, "It'll only be for a few months. You were blended for so short a time that your bodies won't suffer so badly from the loss of the symbiotes. The dose will be decreased each month until you can sustain yourselves."

The Colonel huffed in mock-disappointment. "Aww, and I was planning on starting up the SGC branch of Tretonin Addicts Anonymous."

- - - - - - - - - -

While the Tok'ra were left to recover in their own time, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were called to the Briefing Room, where Daniel and Teal'c sat in the comfy swivel chairs at one side of the huge oval desk and General Hammond sat at the head of the table, flipping the pages of some mission report or other.

He pushed it aside as the two officers entered and saluted. After so much insubordination recently, O'Neill figured he'd pay more attention to the details for a while.

"Have a seat, Colonel, Major." The General nodded to each in turn, "I take it the operation went smoothly?"

"As smoothly as having a parasite crawl out of your mouth _can_ go, sir." O'Neill replied, his expression still a little sick.

"It went fine, sir, and the Tok'ra have already started healing their new hosts." Carter clarified the situation.

"So, how will this affect our alliance with the Tok'ra?" Daniel asked, ever the diplomat.

"Well, officially, they're on a warning, which means that we'll be more wary in our dealings with them--"

"Sir, I know what they did was wrong, but--" Sam interjected, worried that she'd have even less contact with her father than she already did. The General cut off her protest with a raise of the hand.

"Don't worry, Major. Jacob won't take any heat for this, you have my word. And as for Selmack and the other two… well I think we can just guilt-trip them into, say, letting us have a little more of their technology. I think for all our trouble they can afford to be _very_ generous to us in trade for a while." The General smiled slyly. "So, SG-1, go get some R&R. Dismissed."

Daniel, Teal'c and Carter stood to leave, but stopped when the Colonel stayed seated.

"Just a minute, sir," O'Neill said, "I'd like a favour."

"What's that, Colonel?"

O'Neill reached inside his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and a pen.

"Your signature on this," He handed the handwritten note to Hammond, "A declaration that no matter how grave the circumstances, _no one_ on this base will _ever_ Tok'ra-fy me again!"

General Hammond smiled, "You have my sworn word on that, Colonel."

- - - - - - - - - -

Around noon the following day, five Tok'ra warriors, among them Oreth, Serrith and Ferrinor, stood in the Gate Room, awaiting their recovered comrades.

The great steel door slid open and in strode a procession of General Hammond, Dr. Frasier, SG-1, Jacob and the newly blended Toreph and Iyola. The Tok'ra greeted their friends, clasping arms with each other in solidarity.

Finally all the Tok'ra lined up to leave, and Jacob stepped forward to shake hands cordially with General Hammond. The General raised his eyebrows in a comment unsaid, and Jacob smiled.

"We'll be alright, Selmack and me. Things were done and said, but every partnership has its ups and downs."

"More downs than ups in my experience…" O'Neill couldn't help putting in with a sly smile. Iyola stepped forwards.

"Kal'ai has not stopped speaking of you since our joining. I think you cared more for her than you will admit," Iyola bowed her head briefly, and when she looked up her eyes shined with mirth. "And I definitely cared for you." Kal'ai said, the distortion making her host's voice sound exotic. She stepped in and kissed the Colonel passionately.

Daniel smirked and General Hammond chuckled lightly as Iyola stepped back into line with a satisfied grin at O'Neill's face, flushed with embarrassment.

Carter's eyes widened briefly as Toreph stepped towards her, but thankfully he only extended his hand. "Farewell Samantha," Yanock said, bowing slightly as she took his hand, "It was an honour to be bonded with you, and I will carry your integrity within my soul forever." Sam smiled and bowed back to him.

"Why couldn't _you_ have said that?" O'Neill whispered at Kal'ai. She grinned even wider.

"Come on, Jack, you know me better than that." With a wink that made her seem more human than ever, she turned and led the way up the ramp towards the Stargate, the wormhole already open, and stepped through, followed by the others.

As the Gate closed, leaving only the humans, O'Neill cast a glance around him at all the amused faces and scowled.

"Hey, she came on to _me_!"

"Whatever you say, Colonel." General Hammond commented with a smile and headed for the door.

**Fin**


End file.
